The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Rhododendron plant botanically known as Rhododendron simsii and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Classic Rouge’.
The new cultivar is the product of a breeding program conducted by the inventor in a cultivated area of Kruishoutem, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new Rhododendron cultivars with interesting and unique flower and foliage colors and long flower longevity.
‘Classic Rouge’ is a hybrid that originated from the hybridization of the female or seed parent Rhododendron ‘Friedhelm Scherrer’ (not patented) and the male or pollen parent Rhododendron simsii ‘Desiree’ (not patented). The cultivar ‘Classic Rouge’ was selected by the inventor in April of 1992 as a single plant within the progeny of the stated cross in Kruishoutem, Belgium.
Asexual reproduction by cuttings of the new cultivar ‘Classic Rouge’ were taken in November 1992 in Kruishoutem, Belgium. Since that time, under careful observation, the unique characteristics of the new cultivar have been uniform, stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.